Tag: Sean Manaea

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: The return of Manaea could be the difference in A’s run at the postseason

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nbcsports.com photo file: The Oakland A’s are more than glad to see the return of pitcher Sean Manaea who has dominated in his first two outings of the season so far.

On the A’s podcast with Charlie O:

It makes a world of difference for the Oakland A’s to have a front line pitcher like Sean Manaea return to the A’s rotation dropping into the rotation for the A’s at this point. As the A’s are fighting for that number one slot in the AL wild card race.

What a gift having Manaea back because he was on the injury list it’s not a issue for Manaea to be a roster player come playoff time. It’s a dream. It’s like making a trade when you don’t have trade deadline availability. Beyond that we know that Sean is one of the nicest guys in the world.

He was so devested when that injury came, he was very depressed because he was pitching so well and he turned that depression around so quickly with a determination to get healthy and he had set his goal and sites on being back exactly this time with the team.

Charlie has lots more A’s news on the podcast tune in and every Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum: Manaea pitches shutout ball at Yankee Stadium; Many are shocked about Skaggs’ drug use; plus more

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sfgate.com file photo: Oakland A’s pitcher Sean Manaea made his 2019 debut after having off season surgery. Manaea pitched against the New York Yankees on Sunday at Yankee Stadium.

On the MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum:

1 A’s Sean Manaea making his season debut today vs. Yanks

2 Autopsy report in for Tyler Skaggs: Mix of opioids and alcohol…

3 Twins break MLB single-season home run record with one month left in the season

4 Rays offer free tickets to Florida residents displaced by Hurricane Dorian

5 Swingin’ A’s to offer free tickets for kids 12-and-under throughout September

Join Daniel for the MLB podcast each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: After 10 days on the road, A’s host Astros on Thursday night

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Photo credit: athleticsnation.com

On the A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Stephen Piscotty has been out with the flu and had an injury earlier this season. How important is it to have him back in right field and back in the lineup?

#2 A’s second baseman Jurickson Profar continues to struggle with the glove and the A’s have called up minor leaguer Corban Joseph. Joseph was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas. Joseph hit .371, an OPS of 1.006, 13 homers, 73 RBIs, 63 runs in 381 at-bats.

#3 The A’s started Chad Pinder at second on Tuesday night against the Giants’ Pinder, whose been clutch in late innings, and wasn’t able to help the A’s overcome a one-run deficit. He struck out four times and was 0-4 against the Giants at the plate.

#4 A’s pitcher Sean Manaea is a work in progress, going 5 2/3 innings against in rehab at Triple-A Las Vegas in the game. He gave up a run and had 10 strikeouts and A’s manager Bob Melvin is anxious to get him back.

#5 The A’s host the Houston Astros on Thursday night. It’s the A’s first time back home after a 10-day road trip. The Astros, who lead the AL West will start Aaron Sanchez (5-14, 5.60 ERA) and for the A’s Mike Fiers (11-3, 3.30 ERA).

Join Jerry for the A’s podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason: Manaea working his way back to the show; Machado files a protest against suspension; plus more

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Photo credit: @theScore

On Headline Sports with Barbara Mason:

#1 The Oakland A’s pitcher Sean Manaea is throwing well in a simulated 45-pitch three contest. He pitched three innings against Oakland minor league hitters. He said he feels great.

#2 A’s left hander AJ Puk, who had Tommy John surgery, threw two innings against Class A Advanced Stockton and allowed a homer and a walk with three strikeouts. Jesus Luzardo, who had a shoulder strain, allowed four hits and a homer. The A’s are hoping that both Puk and Luzardo can rehab and make it back to the big club.

#3 San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado wants to earn every penny of that $300 million contract and getting called out on strikes didn’t sit well for him on Monday night. Plate Umpire Bill Welke called a pitch on the outside corner and Machado argued the call made contact with Welke, threw his bat, and dropped some heavy language. Machado has appealed his one-game suspension.

#4 The Chicago Cubs are considering opening up a sportsbook at Wrigley Field and people just like at the racetrack can go and place their bets inside at the park. MLB currently prohibits gambling inside MLB stadiums, but the rules are about to change and betting will be allowed.

#5 Former San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence of the Texas Rangers, who had has 15 home runs for the season, had his run stopped by a groin injury he got in Cincinnati on Sunday. Pence was hitting .294 and 48 RBIs in 55 games.

Headlines Sports with Barbara Mason is heard each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland Athletics podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s shouldn’t take road trip with a grain of salt; A’s provide medical update on Sean Manaea; plus more

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Photo credit: @Athletics

On the A’s podcast with Jerry:

1. The A’s beat the Orioles 3-2 in game one of the three-game series, but the O’s might play spoiler in the series finale, a.k.a. game three.

2. A’s pitcher Mike Fiers remains undefeated with the Green and Gold 5-0.

3. If you’re an A’s and Sharks fan, you should prepare for the Sharks’ 2018-19 season with an A’s and Sharks mashup scarf you can get at the September 18th game. You can purchase a special ticket at athletics.com/sharks.

4. A’s fans, don’t miss out on the A’s last Play Ball event presented by Sutter Health on September 15th at Allendale Park in Oakland. More information could be found at athletics.com/playball

5. The A’s tweeted a medical update on Sean Manaea. He’ll have arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder on Sept. 19 at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in LA.

Jerry does the A’s podcasts each Thursday for SportsRadio Service.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Pitchers Are Bigger, Stronger and on the DL More Than Ever

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Photo credit: @NBCSAthletics

By: Amaury Pi-González

If the A’s advance to the postseason, they will not be able to depend with their No. 1  starter, Sean Manaea. He will have arthroscopic surgery to repair a left shoulder impingement on September 19. A’s manager Bob Melvin said that Manaea will be sidelined through 2019.

Just a few years ago when I asked Melvin in Spring Training about Manaea, he told me wonders about the then-rookie pitcher. Jharel Cotton missed this 2018 season with Tommy John surgery as well as the A’s top pitching prospect A.J Puk. Pitchers are having all kinds of surgeries–primarily Tommy John–to the point where it’s very common. No team is immune to injuries. Young pitchers mostly throw 95 mph and they are bigger and stronger than ever. Conditioning is the best it has ever been. Nutrition is much more advanced than ever. Plus we now know more about the human body, so people are living longer than ever. Yet, few teams can escape these injuries to their pitching staffs.

One of my favorite pitchers was the Phillies’ Robin Roberts, who would throw 300 or more innings each season, just like Nolan Ryan or Jaime Moyer. Moreover, Vida Blue pitched for 17 years, and in eight of those years, he hurled between 224 to 312 innings per season. Not to mention, Moyer pitched for 25 seasons, and in 10 of those seasons, he easily went over 200 innings.

Juan Marichal completed 244 career games, going the distance. Most recently, Pedro Martínez pitched for 2,827 inning in 18 seasons. Jim Palmer pitched a total of 3,948 innings over 19 years with the Orioles, and never gave up a grand slam. Bartolo Colón has pitched for 3,459 2/3 innings and counting in his 21-plus seasons, and he has easily pitched over 200 innings per season. None of these guys were near 6’4″ and 235 lbs.

Many established pitchers as well as rookies in the MLB would travel to Cuba, Puerto Rico, México, Venezuela and vice versa to pitch in the Winter Leagues. They reported to Spring Training the following year and continued their long careers–most of them free of surgeries. There was always tendinitis, tired arms and ailments like that, but the names of the surgeons were not as famously known back then. Pitchers used to run a lot and did not lift weights. Teams did not have a state of the art gym at each park like they have today with all types of supplements and vitamins along with qualified physiotherapists. Tommy John surgery has a high success rate, but around 20 percent of pitchers never make it back.

It is a never ending debate. Should they limit pitchers to 100 pitches per game? Are they training the wrong way? And there are many other questions without definite answers.

This is one of my favorite quotes. It is from Liván Hernández, who pitched for 17 years and in many seasons threw over 200 innings, “A mi no me preocupa la cantidad de lanzamiento que yo hago, lo que quiero es ganar el juego para mi equipo, si ellos quieren contar mis lanzamientos, está bien, en Cuba solo Dios sabe cuantos lanzamientos yo hacía por salida.”

Translation: “I am not worried how many pitches I throw, what I want is to win the game for my team, if they want to count the pitches I make, that is fine, in Cuba only God knew how many pitches I made every time I started a game.”

Notes: Tommy John pitched for 26 years from 1963 to 1989, winning 288 games while losing 231. He pitched for the Indians, White Sox, Dodgers, Yankees, California Angels, A’s and Yankees. Despite not being in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., his name is mentioned much more often than all the combined pitchers that are in the HOF.

Don’t worry about tomorrow: A’s lose Manaea, but keep winning in Minnesota, bump Twins 6-2

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By Morris Phillips

The A’s lost their indispensable starting pitcher, but they held on to their home run stroke on Sunday afternoon.

The day started with the news that Sean Manaea, the team’s wins leader with a 12-9 record, will miss his next start on Thursday and go on the disabled list with shoulder impingement, more popularly described as tightness in his shoulder.  Manaea has made 27 starts this season without missing a turn, and given that he returns in the next two weeks, is still on track to better his career-high 29 starts set last year. But the A’s lose their only remaining season-opening starter just as the schedule hits its most demanding stretch with the team scheduled to play the next 10 days without a break.

And the teams response to the sour news on the eve of their final series against AL West-leading Houston?

Another series victory–this one high in the degree of difficulty–over the Twins with a 6-2 win featuring four home runs, two off the bat of Matt Chapman. The A’s have dropped just one series since mid-June, and they pulled this one out by winning three straight days at Target Field after dropping the opener on Thursday.

“We’ve been hit with a lot of adversity and we’ve been able to keep pushing forward and finding ways to win, having different guys step up,” Chapman said of the day’s events.

If the A’s have an approach to such situations, it’s simple: grab a bat and swing. The four home runs gave the team a major league-leading 114 homers in road contests (65 games). Three of the four home runs came off Twins’ reliever Matt Magill, and none from the game’s biggest home run hitter, Khris Davis. But even without Davis weighing in (the slugger was 1 for 5 on Sunday with three strikeouts) the A’s got plenty from red-hot sluggers Chapman and Stephen Piscotty, who led off the sixth inning with a shot that gave the A’s a 4-1 lead.

Jed Lowrie and Chapman hit back-to-back homers in the seventh to finish Magill and the scoring for the afternoon. The A’s escaped the series without taxing their bullpen, and that’s even with spot starter Chris Bassitt being lifted with two outs in the fifth inning. Manager Bob Melvin opted to use Blake Treinen in the ninth with a four-run lead and the closer did his part, keeping his ERA below one (0.97).

Bassitt was recalled from Nashville to make the start, which was originally part of a plan to buy an extra day for each member of the starting rotation. While Bassitt survived, he struggled with his command, throwing a bunch of pitches to get into the fifth, and issuing three walks. But Bassitt got some big outs, allowed just one run, and was followed by five relievers, none throwing more than one inning, in keeping with the plan for the A’s to lean heavily on its stocked bullpen.

Now with Manaea disabled, Bassitt will likely stick around with Frankie Montas returning to the rotation, and Daniel Mengden joining the club as a long reliever initially. It’s not the best of situations having the rotation so unsettled with the next seven games against the Astros and Mariners, but the A’s won’t hesitate to pull any pitcher at any juncture if he struggles.

The A’s improved to 45-16 in their last 61 games that have transformed their season, and moved a season-high 27 games above .500. All the winning, and league-leading performers have Oakland in line for a playoff appearance, but catching either the Yankees or Astros are essential to keeping the club out of a win-or-go-home playoff appearance on the road. The A’s have opened a significant, five-game gap over the Mariners, but that could change with the upcoming series at home against Seattle. For now, the club will turn its attention to the World Champs in the last three of 19 meetings.

“There are some implications. It’s the last time we play each other head-to-head, and we’re neck-and-neck for first place in the division,” Chapman said, deftly employing back-to-back anatomical descriptions of the critical, upcoming series.

Houston’s Gerrit Cole faces Oakland’s Brett Anderson in the opener on Monday. All three Houston starters scheduled have double-digit win totals, the three A’s starters–including Edwin Jackson and Trevor Cahill–have five wins or less.

Our Turn: Astros respond with 9-4 win to recapture first place in the AL West

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND — First, the Oakland A’s smashed a team-record eight doubles on Saturday to cap a 53-game run to a share of the AL West lead. Then the world champion Houston Astros responded on Sunday with five home runs to reclaim the division lead to themselves.

And what can we conclude from this series of events? Life at the top of the AL West–baseball’s toughest division–isn’t for the faint of heart. That, and look for something truly special to take place over the final 38 games of the season as the three playoff hopefuls in the West chase two playoff spots.

“These guys are no fluke whatsoever,” said Sunday’s winning pitcher Justin Verlander of the A’s. “We have the toughest division in baseball, without a doubt. The three teams are going to fight and claw all the way to the finish.”

Woven into the competition between the Astros, A’s and Mariners are the numerous accomplishments racked up along the way. Verlander’s 200th win of his career on Sunday ranks among the biggest, as 200 wins for a Major League starting pitcher has taken on the significance that 300 wins once held. Verlander, no stranger to the Coliseum and making himself at home wherever he pitches, moved himself into exclusive company as only the third active pitcher to achieve the milestone, joining C.C. Sabathia and the ageless Bartolo Colon.

Including the playoffs, Verlander has beaten the A’s 16 times, and been dominant in a few of those outings, including the clinching Game 5 win in the 2012 ALDS that forced a full house at the Coliseum to spend the evening sitting on their hands as Verlander’s Tigers cruised to a 6-0 victory.  On Sunday, the 35-year old right hander got all he could handle early as the A’s hottest hitters–Khris Davis and Matt Chapman–combined for three homers off Verlander before the conclusion of the third inning.

Yuri Gurriel allowed Verlander to survive the early onslaught with one swing of the bat, as his three-run shot off Sean Manaea gifted the Astros a brief 4-2 lead. Davis’ second home run–his 36th of the season–got the A’s even, but little went right for Oakland after that.

While the Astros added single runs in the the fourth and fifth to chase Manaea, then added three more off reliever Emilio Pagan in the seventh and eighth innings, the A’s offense went quiet, one of the rare occasions that the A’s didn’t take control of a ballgame late. Marwin Gonzalez capped the Houston outburst with his solo shot in the eighth–the seventh extra base hit for the Astros one day after the A’s tallied eight.

The Astros won for just the second time in their last nine games, part of their struggles with reigning AL MVP Jose Altuve on the disabled list. Altuve started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Fresno on Sunday, giving Houston hope that the second baseman can rejoin the club this week. The Astros continue their road trip in Seattle on Monday, the opener of a three-game set.

The A’s open a series with Texas at the Coliseum on Monday night at 7:05 pm PDT with Mike Fiers facing either Mike Minor or Colon for the Rangers, who have a beat up rotation, and have not announced a starter for any of the three games in Oakland.  The Rangers have dropped four straight to the A’s, and have lost 10 of their previous 13 games at the Coliseum.

Red hot, know-it-alls: Giants pose questions, A’s provide answers in second, straight, extra-inning win, 6-5

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND — If the next 60 games are like the last 30, the A’s are marching into the postseason, dragging naysayers and whatever left by the side of the road supporters along with them. Not only have the A’s won 23 of 30, they’ve developed an unmistakable swagger and belief.

Late game deficit? Just hold on. Late game deficit along with a slumbering offense? No problem. World class opponent like the Astros–or Indians, Giants and faltering Padres for that matter? The A’s elevate their game accordingly.

The Giants got their rough introduction to the transformation over the weekend in a pair of bitter, extra-inning defeats capped by Sunday’s 6-5 nail biter that swung on the unpredictable path of a high chopper on the infield. When the otherwise out of this world shortstop Brandon Crawford failed to come up with the ball, Marcus Semien (aboard on a leadoff walk issued by reliever Ty Blach) just happened to be in the right place, flying around third base and bearing down on home plate.

“The more we do this–since we’ve been on this run–the more confidence we gain,” said manager Bob Melvin. “And I think it’s important too that we lost the first game of the series both ends of this. And end up coming back and winning both. It kept the momentum as far as that preserverance trait goes.  And they expect to win.”

Expect to win? More like they forgot how to lose.

The A’s have won 10 times in this streak by scoring the winning run in the eighth inning or later. They’re 39-0 when leading after seven innings, and 47-0 when leading after eight. Neither of those last two numbers got a bump Sunday because the Giants staged a spirited rally with three runs in the seventh to tie, and another run in the eighth to take a short-lived lead.

But the first number on the list did get a bump, and it did so with the slimmest of advantages in the form of Matt Chapman’s game-winning, infield single.

Sunday, the A’s melded together eight hits in 10 innings and somehow, that added up to six runs. Hits with runners in scoring position? Just one in eight opportunities. On Saturday, it was six base hits and a double in 11 innings, along with nine walks issued by Giants’ pitchers, and the support of 56,310 partially supportive fans to etch together a win.

The A’s should open a new-age sewing factory: provide the materials, and the A’s will stitch together a win.

“It just shows the character of our team,” said Chapman. “We’re able to keep fighting until the last pitch, no matter whether we’re down or not. We always feel like we’re one swing away.”

GAME NOTES: Reliever Jeurys Familia, acquired from the Mets in a deal for two minor league prospects and cash considerations, made his A’s debut Sunday, throwing two scoreless innings which matched the longest outing of the pitcher’s season to date. Melvin gushed after the game at the A’s bullpen depth that allowed the manager to extend closer Blake Treinen on Saturday, while knowing a well-rested Familia would be available for an extended run on Sunday.

Familia was 4-4 with a 2.88 ERA and 17 saves in 40 appearances with New York. The 28 year-old, right-hander piled up 43 strikeouts while walking 14.

A’s starter Sean Manaea retired the first 14 batters he faced on Sunday, and limited his adversity to one run allowed in the fifth. Manaea struck out five batters, the first time he’s struck out more than four batters in a start since June 22 when he struck out seven in a start at the White Sox.

UP NEXT: The A’s will open a four-game series against the Texas Rangers on Monday at 5:05 pm PDT.

A’s power their way past the Angels 6-4 on Saturday to end the losing streak

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Semien HR
Semien hits his sixth HR in the top of the sixth inning Photo: @Athletics

by Charlie O. Mallonee

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics can cross two things off of their to-do list after beating the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 6-4 on Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum. First, they needed desperately needed end a four-game losing streak that began last Tuesday. Task completed.

Secondly, the A’s needed to get a win versus an AL West division opponent. They had lost six straight games to AL West teams and 12 of their last 13 games versus the West. The win on Saturday allows the team to check that off their list as well.

The A’s cannot let down after this victory, but it should prove to them that they are very capable of playing and winning in the Western Division.

Manaea looked unstoppable for four innings

Manaea vs LAA
Manaea looked unstoppable for the first four innings Photo: @Athletics

Sean Manaea made the start for the A’s and his slider was really working for him. The lefty set the Angels down in order for the first four innings. He looked unbeatable especially after Chad Pinder hit a home run to stake Manaea to a 1-0 lead.

Then came the top of the fifth inning. Albert Pujols led off the inning with a single. Martin Maldonado followed up with a single to right field. With runners at first and second, that brought Chris Young to bat. Young was the last minute replacement for Justin Upton who was scratched due to a stiff lower back.

Young HR
Young crushes a HR off Manaea Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

Young hit a no doubt about it home run to over the left field wall to give the Angels a 3-1 lead. Manaea was able to work his way out of trouble to end the inning, but the mood of the team and fans had definitely changed.

The sixth inning was the Angels’ downfall
The Angels had to use LHP John Lamb — who was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake — to make the start. Lamb gave up a home run to Pinder in the fourth inning and then, Marcus Semien hit his sixth round-tripper of the season off Lamb to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. That would be all for Lamb, who exited the game with a 3-2 lead.

Reliever Noe Ramirez entered the game and hit the first batter he faced — Chad Pinder. Jed Lowrie flied out to center for the first out of the inning. DH Khris Davis walked. Rameriez then hit Matt Olson for his second hit-batsmen of the inning. With the bases loaded, Stephen Piscotty hit a blistering single up the middle that drove Davis and Olson home to score. When the inning ended, the A’s led the game 5-3.

Oakland would add one more run in the seventh inning on a Jed Lowrie RBI single.

The top of the ninth inning got a little exciting
Blake Treinen was brought in to close out the game in the top of the ninth. It was his first time on the mound in six games and he looked a little rusty.

The A’s closer gave up a run (earned) on one hit while walking two and striking out one Angels hitter. The situation did not become desperate, but it was not as clean of a close as the team would have liked it to have been.

Bob Melvin’s postgame comments

In the Batter’s Box
Oakland (35-36)

  • Chad Pinder had a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate for the A’s. He was just a double short of posting a cycle on Saturday. Pinder’s home run was his sixth of the season and he recorded his 14th RBI. Pinder hit his first triple of the year in the game.
  • Marcus Semiem hit his sixth HR to pick up his 27th RBI of the year.
  • Stephen Piscotty raised his RBI total to 29.
  • Jed Lowrie now has 43 RBI which is keeping close to the leaders in the majors
  • The A’s scored six runs off six hits and recorded six RBI. Their batters struck out eight times.
  • The A’s left six men on base while going 2-for-4 with runners in scoring position.

Los Angeles of Anaheim (38-33)

  • No batter for the Angels had a multi-hit game.
  • Chris Young picked up the big hit with his 3-run home run in the fifth inning. That upped his RBI total to 10.
  • Mike Trout and Albert Pujols each recorded a hit.
  • The Angels scored four runs on six hits while striking out six times.
  • The Angels left four men on base and went 2-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

On the Hill
A’s (Streak: Lost 1 game; 4-6 in last 10)

  • The win went to starting pitcher Sean Manaea, who is now 6-5 on the season. It was his first win since back in May. Manaea worked 6.0-innings giving up three runs (all earned) off four hits. He walked one and struck out four. He did give up one home run.
  • Treinen earned the save (15) but struggled to get there.
  • Petit and Trivino each worked an inning of scorless relief.

Angels (Streak: Lost 1 game; 5-5 in last 10)

  • John Lamb who made the start did not figure into the decision.
  • Noe’ Rameriez (2-3) was charged with the loss.
  • Jake Jewell was used for one inning of relief by the Angels and it was his Major League debut.

Up Next

The Angels and A’s will close out  this three-game series with the “rubber game” of the match on Sunday at 1:05 pm PDT. The Angels will start LHP Andrew Heaney (3-5, 3.68) -who will the third lefthander to start for LA in this series. The A’s will counter with RHP Daniel Mengden (6-6, 3.90).

big foul
Foul territory is tough to cover at the Coliseum Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee